<VV> Anti-seize usage on wheel studs

[Dale Dewald]

On 2/10/2015 18:22, J Bruce Weeks wrote:
> DO NOT USE ANTI-SEIZE ON WHEEL STUDS! Two drops of motor oil only, and only on the threads.
>
> I was a wheel engineer for 18 years and many wheel separations occurred because of anti-seize.
>
> It was one of the main reasons uncovered in a NHSTA investigation I was involved in concerning wheel-offs.
Hello Bruce,
By wheel separation do you mean the wheel broke apart, or that the lug 
nuts loosened and the wheel came off the car?  I would appreciate a more 
in depth explanation of the test methods and results.  Is there a 
published report?

I have had five near misses with wheels coming loose from a vehicle in 
the past 25 years. In each case I was able to find a safe place to stop 
when vibration became noticeable and before the wheel came off;
1 was due to failure to tighten lug nuts after performing service work 
(at 3:00 AM--fatigue was a factor),
3 were due to corrosion of the studs/nuts that prevented proper torquing 
of a wheel on my own vehicles,
1 was due to corrosion of the studs/nuts that prevented proper torque of 
the wheel on a borrowed vehicle.  A check of the remaining wheels on the 
borrowed vehicle found 2 retained by only one properly torqued nut and 
the remaining wheel retained by 3 nuts (the rest were torqued on 
corroded threads).  This was on a 3/4 ton truck with 8-lug wheels being 
used to tow a 23' trailer!!

After using anti-seize on all of my vehicles I have never had a wheel 
nut (or bolt as used on my wife's Audi) come loose.

Because here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan road salt is applied 6 
months out of the year, corrosion is the paramount issue with any 
exposed fasteners. Without the use of anti-seize or grease, proper 
torque, or even removal of lug nuts (or other fasteners) is impossible.  
I have tried the motor oil method, but it is only marginally effective 
when exposed to the more aggressive CaCl2 and MgCl2 road chemicals used 
by MDOT.  I do not drive my Corvairs in winter, so a single application 
of anti-seize has been sufficient to last 3-5 years on them.  Anti-seize 
is re-applied twice a year on our daily cars during summer/winter tire 
changeovers.

Dale Dewald
Hancock, MI